Sealed tag



M. RUBINOFF April 30, 1940.

SEALED TAG Filed Aug. 12, 1939 v INVENTOR MARK Pl/fi/NO/T ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j This invention relates to sealed tags. It is particularly directed to a tag having a seal to receive clips or terminals on the ends of a looped string, the construction being such that the terminals cannot be removed from the: seal without destroying the loop or the seal.

This application is a continuation in part of applicants co-pending application Serial No.

276,596, filed May. 31, 1939 issued as Patent No.

2,178,810, November '7, 1939.

An object of this invention is to provide a seal of the character described having a plurality of prongs adapted to pierce the tag and bent inwardly against the underside of the tag, said prongs being scored at the bending points whereby the prongs will be destroyed if bent away from the tag so as to prevent removal of the seal without breaking of the prongs, so that the seal cannot be replaced on other merchandise or other tags.

A further object of this invention is to provide a seal of the character described attached to a tag by prongs piercing the tag and formed with two openings each to receive one of the terminals or clips attached to the ends of the looped string, each opening being only of sufficient size to admit one of said terminals or clips so that once the clips or terminals are inside the seals they cannot be removed from the seal, the edges of said openings being in the form of rough teeth punched inwardly so as to cut the string should attempts be made to pull on the string in an effort to withdraw the terminals from the seal.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a seal of the character described having prongs piercing the tag and bent inwardly against the underside of the tag and a disc pasted against the underside of the tag to cover the prongs whereby the prongs cannot be reached without first removing the disc.

Another object of this invention is to provide a seal which will receive notmore than two clips or terminals on the ends of a looped string. Due to the limited number of two clips, it will be impossible for the unauthorized substitution of.

merchandise even though the string of the clip should be severed and an attempt of a new one to be inserted into the seal.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a compactseal which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to apply and yet practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exem-' plified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sealed tag em bodying the invention; 5

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1; 1 C

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the sealed .0:

tag with part of the covering disc broken away;

Figure 5 is an elevational cross-sectional view' of a portion of the seal showing the scoringinl the prongs;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a sealed tag embodying the invention and illustrating a modified construction; and

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the struc ture shown in Figure 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, [0 20."

designates a sealed tag embodying the invention attached to any suitable article II. The

sealed tag l0 comprises a tag or sheet 12 to which there is attached a seal 13. The seal 13 may be made of thin sheet metal and comprises a'top is a flange or rim [6 contacting the top surface of the sheet or tag l2. Extending from the 'rim' or flange I 6 are a plurality of equi-angularly spaced, trian'gularly shaped prongs I'l piercing the tag l2 and bent against the underside of said tag, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. The

inner surfaces of the prongs l! are scored horizontally as at 18. so that the prongs are weakened to such an extent that if said prongs are bent outwardly away from the underside of the tag in an attempt to remove the seal from the tag, the prongs will break off. Attached to the tag in the manner hereinafter described are the ends of a looped string or cord 20 passing through an opening 2| in the article The string 20 may be made of twisted red;- white and blue threads or otherwise variously" colored. Attached to the end of each string is a small folded clip or terminal member 24 disposed at right angles to said string. The clips or "terminals 24 may be of the type shown and described 1 in Patent Number 1,359,951 issued November 23,' 1920 to M. B. Behrman. The terminal members 24 are inserted into the seal through openings 25 in the wall l5 of said seal. The openings 25 are preferably spaced from one another and each is only of sufficient size to receive one of the terminals 24. After the terminals have been inserted into the seal they cannot be removed with-J out tearingthe string.

I-Ieretoiore seals were made with one opening sufliciently large to permit first one terminal to be inserted and then the next. Such an opening had to be larger than each of the openings 25 because after one terminal is inserted through the single opening the next terminal must be inserted with one string already passing through said opening. The present construction is advantageous since the openings are reduced in size to a minimum thus lessening the chances of insertion of a tool through the openings for removing the terminals. Thus where two separate openings are made, one for each terminal such openings may each be smaller than a single opening sufiiciently large to admit both terminals one after the other.

The edges of the openings 25 are preferably formed with rough saw teeth 26 so that if the string 20 is pulled to any considerable extent the string will tear.

Pasted to the underside of the tag 52 is a disc 30 of cardboard or other material covering the prongs l1 so that said prongs cannot be reached without first removing said disc.

In Figures 6 and '7 there is shown a seal i311. similar to the seal 13 with the exception that the former has an integral fiat portion 32 extending therefrom and bendable around the edge of the tag [2 against the underside thereof to cover the prongs.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use,

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying draw- ;ing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination, a sheet and a seal having :prongs piercing said sheet and bent against saidsheet, said prongs being scored whereby to weaken the prongs so that if the prongs are bent away from the sheet they will break oif, and a disc pasted to said sheet and covering said prongs.

2. In combination, a tag, a' seal having a top wall spaced above the tag and an annular wall extending from the top wall toward said tag, and prongs connected to said annular wall and piercing said tag and bent against the underside of said tag, said seal being formed with a pair of spaced openings and a string having terminal members attached to the ends thereof and disposed within said seal, the ends of said string adjacent said terminals passing through said openings, respectively, the edges of said openings being formed with saw teeth, said prongs being scored adjacent their bending points.

3. In combination, a tag, a seal having a top wall spaced above the tag and an annular wall extending from the top wall toward said tag, and

prongs connected to said annular wall and piercing said tag and bent against the underside of said tag, said seal being formed with a pair of spaced openings and a string having terminal vmembers attached to the ends thereof and disposed within said seal, the ends 'of said string adjacent said terminals passing through said openings, respectively, the edges of said openings being formed with saw teeth, said prongs 'mwbeing scored adjacent their bending points, and

a disc pasted to said tag and covering said prongs.

4. In combination, a sheet, a seal having prongs piercing said sheet and bent against the underside of said sheet, said seal being formed with an opening, a string passing through said opening, a terminal clip attached to an end of said string and disposed within said seal, the edge of said opening being formed with teeth, and said prongs being scored.

5. In combination, a sheet, a seal having prongs piercing said sheet and bent against the underside of said sheet, said seal being formed with an opening, a string passing through said opening, a terminal clip attached to an end of said string, and disposed within said seal, the edge of said opening being formed with teeth, and said prongs being scored and means for covering said prongs.

6. In combination, a tag, a seal having a top wall spaced above the tag and an annular wall extending from the top wall toward said tag, and prongs connected to said annular wall and piercing said tag and bent against the underside of said tag, said seal being formed with a pair of spaced openings and a string having terminal members attached to the ends thereof and disposed within said seal, the ends of said string adjacent said terminals passing through said openings, respectively, the edges of said openings being formed with saw teeth, said prongs being scored adjacent their bending points, and a disc pasted to said tag and covering said prongs, the interior of said seal being so limited as not to permit the reception of more than two terminals.

7. In combination, a tag, a seal having a top wall spaced above the tag, and a frusto-conical wall extending from said top wall towards said tag, and a flat annular wall extending from the lower end of said frusto-conical wall and contacting the top surface of said tag, and prongs extending from said annular wall and piercing said tag and bent inwardly against the underside of said tag, the frusto-conical wall of said seal being formed with a pair of spaced openings, a string having terminal members at the ends thereof disposed within said seal, the ends of said string adjacent said terminals passing through said openings respectively, said prongs being scored where bent, whereby to weaken the prongs so that if the prongs are bent away from the tag, they will break off, and a disc pasted to the underside of said tag and covering said prongs.

8. In combination, a tag, a seal having a top wall spaced above the tag, and a frusto-conical wall extending from said top wall towards said tag, and a flat annular wall extending from the lower end of said frusto-conical wall and contacting the top surface or" said tag, and prongs extending from said annular wall and piercing said tag and bent inwardly against the underside of said tag, the frusto-conical wall of said seal being formed with a pair of spaced openings, and a string having terminal members at the ends thereof disposed within said seal, the ends of said string adjacent said terminals passing through said openings respectively, said prongs being scored where bent, whereby to weaken'the prongs so that if the prongs are bent away from the tag, they will break ofi, and a disc pasted to the underside of said tag and covering said prongs, the interior of said seal being so limited as not to permit the reception of more than two terminals.

MARK RUBINOFF. 

